Deformed: Book 1: Wingless
by PinkRose0106
Summary: Caldera is a SkyWing born with no wings. She believed that everyone she talks to ends up dead or hating her. Can she save the world from the thing that everyone forgot existed? During the first arc of WoF books, rated T for possible violence.
1. Chapter 1

It was a cloudy, windy, rainy, and all-around miserable day in the Sky Kingdom. No dragon could fly in this weather, which made everyone particularly sad and angry. Queen Scarlet, for example, was calling every dragon to the arena so then she could be entertained by bloodshed and violence.

Caldera hated it whenever her queen commanded everyone to watch bloody fights that usually ended in Peril burning dragons until their screams faded into nothing. She flinched every time someone was clawed or burned.

It wasn't just the blood and terrified screams that Caldera hated, though. She hated the queen's menacing glare towards the dragons who didn't applaud, and the way most were threatened afterwards. Most of all, though, she hated the way that everyone looked at her. A wingless SkyWing dragonet? Worthless. She should've been killed in her egg three years ago. Even her family didn't want her, as desperate as they were for a dragonet. The only reason why Caldera wasn't dead was because Scarlet thought it was entertaining to see her try to fly. It was _funny_ that she couldn't do what SkyWings were born to do. She wished she wasn't the only one.

Peril walked out of the arena as the final battle ended. Caldera didn't wait for Queen Scarlet to dismiss them; she began walking out of the arena and into the palace, where a secret path was that only a dragon who couldn't fly would go through. It was a long trip, but no one wanted her any closer to them. She walked down to the ditch she had dug recently; it was filled with water and muddy, but she couldn't sleep anywhere else. She sighed miserably, but before she could lay down a flash of lightning made her jump. On instinct, her brain told her to fly, but she didn't move. She looked back to where her wings should be, and remembered sadly that there were no wings, just stubs. She sighed again, and began walking farther away from the castle. The sky was getting clearer as she walked closer to the border and into the Mud Kingdom, showing a beautiful night sky with thousands of stars. She stopped walking and sat down, looking up at the stars. She tried counting them. Too much. She tried measuring the distance from here to the sea, in any direction. Too far. She sighed, heavy and long.

"What is a dragonet doing out here?"

Caldera jumped and stood up, turning to the dragon. It was another SkyWing, washed-out red in color and limply dragging his tail along the grass. "Who are you?" Caldera asked, a bit too defensively.

"Osprey." The old dragon said. "And you, young one? What's your name?"

Caldera walked a little closer, and realized that she'd seen him before at trials. She never paid attention to names, especially when she knew that they wouldn't care to remember hers. Osprey felt around a little bit before he stepped forward, and Caldera also remembered that he was nearly blind. She hoped he thought that her wings were just folded. Maybe she could get to know him.

"I asked your name, I expect an answer." Osprey hissed.

"Oh, sorry." Caldera stammered. "I'm Caldera."

"Don't you have parents? Don't you think they might be worried?"

"They disowned me when I hatched."

Osprey seemed to pause, as if he wanted to make a comment, but didn't say anything. He walked closer towards Caldera and sat down. "Did you come out here to stargaze?"

Caldera was a little shocked at the question, she almost took too long to say, "Sort of."

"Now, in my day," Osprey began, looking at Caldera. "A dragonet would say 'yes' or 'no', not 'sort of'."

"Yes, then." Caldera said. She sat down beside him, and looked back up at the night sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Caldera fell asleep under the blanket of stars, and when she woke up she was alone again. Osprey must've went back to the palace. She figured that she would have to as well.

Luckily, a dragonet with no wings can run quickly, so she got to the palace when the sun was highest. As she walked into the arena seats, she saw that they were getting more prisoners. A MudWing, SeaWing, and NightWing were being chained and confined. Caldera's gaze stayed on the NightWing. She wondered why there was a NightWing in the Sky Kingdom. The three dragonets were older than her; three or four years older, to be exact. After Caldera lost interest in the NightWing, she pondered the MudWing's reason to be in Scarlet's prison. They were on the same side of the war; and if they disobeyed the queen she would just put them in her own dungeon.

She wished that she could fly up there and talk to them. Find out what they did to deserve the worst kind of death. Before she could continue, the arena began filling with dragons and the daily fights began.

…

The following days were strange. First, the new dragonet prisoners were announced to be the dragonets of destiny, then an IceWing mysteriously died by some sort of acid, then there was a trial for a SkyWing named Peril. Caldera went, Queen Scarlet having said that everyone who doesn't want to share the accused's fate would come. Although she didn't like living in the Sky Kingdom, Caldera was not on board of dying.

The trial began simply. Caldera was looking up at the sky when she noticed blue eyes and fiery body fly close to the new MudWing prisoner—Clay. She wondered briefly why Peril was there at all.

Like normal, Vermillion stood for the persecution. Caldera recognized Osprey walk up to defend the accused. But when Osprey spoke, he spoke too truly.

Suddenly there was a roar. "No!"

Caldera watched as Peril flew away from the spot behind the MudWing and landed close to Osprey. "It's not true," Peril said. "Say it's not true!"

Scarlet glared at the accused SkyWing, who looked like she thought that Peril was dead. Caldera started shrinking back, realizing where this was going. "Oh, yes, I forgot to mention." Scarlet said to the SkyWing. "Your lovely daughter is alive and working for me. Oh, dear, forgetful me."

Caldera closed her eyes, covered her ears. She couldn't watch. She couldn't listen. She couldn't fly away. She opened her eyes at the worst possible moment, as Osprey was falling. This is what I get, Caldera thought. This is what I get for talking to someone. Her whole body shuddered as the old dragon hit the sandy ground, eerily still. She was glad that she was on the opposite side of the arena.

Caldera didn't hear what Scarlet said. When everyone began leaving, she walked with them, dragons staying a good distance away.

That night, Burn had come to the palace. Caldera woke up in the middle of the night to hear the dragonets of destiny song playing eerily in the distance. It was at the castle, but it could be heard. Caldera could hear dragons voices singing along. Suddenly it stopped, though, and Caldera looked towards the Mud Kingdom.

What if she ran away? Surely it wouldn't be strange to see a SkyWing? They would, at least, not attack her. That was better than nothing. She stood up, shook off some of the dirt that was stuck to her scales, and began walking towards the home of MudWings.

She wondered if one of them would let her life with them. She knew that they had unisib groups. Maybe they would let her join? She knew it was a stupid thing to hope, but she wondered why she couldn't at least try.

Besides, what's the worst that could happen?


	3. Chapter 3

Caldera walked into the Mud Kingdom, determined to at least talk to someone. She didn't think that the MudWing queen was as cruel as Scarlet, and they were on the same side of the war, so no one should attack her. It was just past sundown when she bumped into a dragon.

"Watch it." The dragon growled. Caldera instantly backed away, just in time to see the dragon's face turn into a look of interest and curiosity. The MudWing was taller than Caldera, so she was at least two years older.

"Um, hi. I'm Caldera, and I…um…" Caldera realized that she didn't know what to say. Talking to Osprey was easy enough; she knew that he probably couldn't see how she was wingless. But someone with perfect vision who was staring at her wingless form was a little unnerving.

The MudWing looked at Caldera with pity. She sat down in front of Calder, and asked gently, "How old are you?"

Caldera was surprised that the MudWing didn't instantly look away and walk in the opposite direction. "I'm three."

"And you said your name was Caldera?" The MudWing asked. Caldera nodded. "My name is Rose Mallow. But just call me Mallow." She paused before adding, "It's funny, you caught me when I was going home."

Caldera stepped back a little bit to give the dragon more space. "I'll let you get to it. I know MudWings live with their sibs, so I should just go home." She smiled, a little truly and a little fake. She wanted to have someone to talk to for at least a night, but if this MudWing had brothers and sisters then she knew she shouldn't interrupt.

"I don't have any siblings," Mallow said. "And I'm very good at detecting lies and desires." She nodded her head in the direction that leads to the Rainforest Kingdom. She stood up, and brushed her wing against Caldera's head. They began walking, silently, to a muddy cave in the distance.

…

It had probably taken an hour or two to walk from the border to Mallow's mound. Once they got there, it was clear that Mallow wasn't lying about having no siblings. Caldera noted how the small cave was big enough for one full-grown dragon, and it was made by dragon talons. The entrance was facing the rainforest, which was still a ways away. The ground beneath her talons was squishy and mud got all over her talons, but she was just glad she wasn't surrounded by angry SkyWings. Mallow sat in the small cave, leaving room for Caldera to sit beside her.

They were both silent or a little bit, then Mallow spoke up. "You can ask me tons of questions in the morning, but I'd like to ask you one now." She said. She looked at Caldera. "Don't answer it if you think it's too personal. But…how do you not have wings?"

"I don't know." Caldera replied. "For as long as I can remember, I never had wings."

"Well, I like to see a SkyWing with no wings." Mallow said softly, almost too kindly for the dragon that Caldera first ran into. "It's something different. I'm not normal, either."

"How?" Caldera asked.

"If you ask in the morning," Mallow began, "I might answer that question for you.

Caldera took that as an answer, and began getting more comfortable. Beside her, Mallow did the same. She began to think of all the questions she wanted to ask Mallow in the morning.

She slipped into a dreamless sleep easily.


	4. Chapter 4

Caldera woke up to another sunny day. She opened her eyes and remembered that she was in the Mud Kingdom. She stood up and looked around for Mallow. She found the brown dragon staring at the rainforest, her scales glowing like gold in the early morning like.

Caldera walked over to her, and sat down. "What'cha doing?" She asked.

"Is that one of the questions you wanted to ask?" Mallow replied coldly.

"N-no. I'm sorry." Caldera said, bringing her tail in front of her. She looked over at Mallow, and realized she looked sort of sad. Caldera wished she had wings to wrap around her in a hug.

"Well, start asking." Mallow began. "I need to leave for the Sand Kingdom at noon."

"Why?" Caldera asked. "Can I come too? I really don't want to go back to the Sky Kingdom."

"Sure. And with a queen like Scarlet, I don't blame you. I have nightmares about her making me fight that monster." Mallow replied with a shiver. Caldera knew she was talking about Peril—she was feared everywhere—but she couldn't help feeling sorry for the queen's champion. "Anyway, we're wasting time. Ask another one."

"Why don't you have siblings? Yesterday you said you didn't have any, and you look big enough to be the oldest. Did they all die?"

"No…not exactly. I do, but they pretend I don't exist. I try to do the same. And…I was their bigwings."

"Then why do they pretend you don't exist?"

"I didn't help them out of their eggs when they hatched."

"Why not? MudWings do that, don't they? Help each other out of their eggs?"

"Yeah, but…I'm not a normal MudWing. Next question?"

"How are you not a normal MudWing? Is that why you live alone?"

Mallow instantly looked at the ground. Caldera wondered if she imagined one of her scales changing. No, that's impossible. MudWings don't change scales. She must be tired, or just hungry. Mallow shifted, then stood up, and looked down at Caldera. "Do you have any other questions?" Her voice had a bit of sadness to it.

Caldera thought for a little bit, then replied, saying, "Can you hunt? And do you mind if we ate together?"

"I wouldn't have invited you to come with me to the Sand Kingdom if I wasn't going to catch the most under-fed dragonet on this side of the continent some breakfast." Mallow half-joked. She brushed her wings against Caldera's head, and began walking away. "Stay close to the mound. I shouldn't be long."

Caldera obediently sat and waited, piecing together their conversation.

Mallow wasn't telling her something, which is normal for two dragons that just met. But she had been so open before…there has to be a reason for why she was being nice to Caldera. Maybe the fact that she can't fly is a part of it. A SkyWing dragonet with no wings, after all, is quite a pitiful creature.

Caldera knew she shouldn't be so nosy. Here Mallow is, acting so kindly to a dragon who only really received scorn and pain from dragons who can see her wings.

But something struck her. She went through the list of dragons that were nice to her. A prisoner SeaWing who gave her one of his decorative earrings, Osprey, and now Mallow. Then she recalled what happened shortly after the act of kindness. Death. She instantly stood up. She looked around wildly, trying to find Mallow. She ran in the direction she thought she went in, leaping over logs and bushes.

She wasn't going to stand around while a nice dragon died.


	5. Chapter 5

Caldera found Mallow arguing with another MudWing a little bit smaller than her, that was the dark brown of tree trunks.

"I need that rabbit." Mallow said. She pointed to the largest rabbit Caldera had ever seen.

"Why, so then you can feed it to your lonely self?" The MudWing replied coldly. "Eat half of it and leave the rest to rot? I don't think so, Rose Mallow." The way he said Mallow's full name made Caldera shiver.

She knew she should go back to the mud-cave. But she also knew that Mallow might die if she did. It was a strange feeling, and thought, but she wanted to prevent it if she could.

Mallow sighed, then began to walk towards where Caldera was. She paused briefly, then said, "She reminds me of him, you know."

"Don't try to win my over by talking about dead siblings." The MudWing said. "It's your fault he's dead."

"I wasn't the bigwings when it happened. You were." Mallow spat back. "Own up to your mistake and stop blaming me." She turned to face the MudWing again, and said quietly, "I just want the rabbit. The poor dragonet can't fly; she must've been tortured watching that monster kill all those dragons and not being able to go away." Caldera realized the two were talking about her. She wondered who 'he' was, and who this MudWing was, although she could make an estimated guess…

The MudWing growled, and flicked his tail. "Just go away! The troop doesn't want you back; the tribe doesn't want you back. Find your own food." He turned and walked away without looking back.

Mallow walked closer to were Caldera was standing, and as she noticed the little wingless dragonet, she stepped back.

"How much did you hear?" Mallow asked.

"Closer to the end." Caldera confessed. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have, but I didn't want you to die."

"What?"

"It's complicated. Was that your brother?"

"Yes…he tends to yell at me more than the others."

"And the dragon you were talking about? The one that reminded you of me?"

"The youngest. He died in the first battle after they forced me out of the troop."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm used to it. Let's get back, then I guess I could dig up some of my reserved food."

"Why did you want the rabbit if you have extra?"

"Because the extras have been in there for a while, and I don't want anyone to get sick."

"I usually eat scraps anyway."

"…Okay, let's head back."

Caldera followed Mallow to the mud-cave, and watched her dig up some day-old prey. Inside the hole it was in, there was also a small brown box, and a few pieces of gold. Mallow carefully covered it back up, and handed two pieces of squirrel to Caldera, and one piece to herself.

Somewhat sadly, Mallow said, "After we're done eating we'll go to the Kingdom of Sand, okay?"

Caldera nodded, and ate the tiny bit of food.


	6. Chapter 6

Caldera and Mallow started walking towards the Kingdom of Sand as soon as they finished their small meal. Caldera felt obligated to keep on apologizing for not being able to fly—they probably could've made it by nightfall if they flew over the sand instead of walking on it. But whenever she did apologize, Mallow said, "It's okay."

They reached a small oasis town a few hours after the sun had set.

"Why did you need to come here, anyway?" Caldera asked. "You never fully answered my question earlier."

"Oh, sorry about that." Mallow said. She walked up to an inn and tapped roughly on the door, and tiny bit of wood chipping off. "I know someone who's in the Outclaws. They asked me to look over their son while they did official business and stuff. I do it regularly."

"So you're a dragonet-sitter?" Caldera suggested.

"Yeah, I guess so." Mallow replied. "Just for this one dragonet though. He lives in one of the other oasis town, not far from here."

The innkeeper came to the door, and mumbled something. He was a SandWing, which didn't surprise Caldera. He looked at them, then said, "Room for two? That'll be two hundred."

"I know your mother wouldn't be proud with your high numbers," Mallow said, making a tsk tsk noise. "And the sign says that MudWing and SkyWings go free. Same side of the war, dummies. I know this town supports Burn."

"Well, I don't, so scram!" The innkeeper replied.

Mallow smirked, then said, "Okay then, I'll just tell the guards that you're not supporting the queen who's obviously going to win the war." She looked like she was going to turn away, and then the innkeeper began moving away.

"P-please, I don't want harm." The innkeeper said. "On the house, food and bed, just don't tell!"

"Thank you." Mallow said. She used her wings to guide Caldera to the second floor of the building, into a small room that had two straw beds in it.

"Why didn't he just use his barbed tail to stop you?" Caldera asked.

"The innkeeper is actually a part of the Talons of Peace. He doesn't act in violence, just fakes it. Besides, the guards would see him do it. They'd arrest him for assaulting a MudWing. Most troops help turn the tide in battles, so it can get dangerous if you publicly harm one." Mallow explained. "And we're on the same side of the war, so there's no reason to fight."

Caldera guessed that made sense. She walked over to one of the beds and laid down, stretching her legs and tail. "This is so much more better than wet dirt and mud!" She looked over at Mallow. "No offense, I'm sure you love it."

"None taken. I actually prefer straw to mud. There's not a chance that you'll wake up half-submerged and can't get out." Mallow half-joked. Caldera laughed a little bit before decided that she was too exhausted to even giggle for more than a few seconds. She watched as Mallow climbed up onto her bed, and she thought she saw it happen again—Mallow's scales slightly changing their color to a lighter brown. Caldera thought that maybe she was imagining things, when they shifted more noticeably, as Mallow closed her eyes.

"What the..?" Caldera began.

"Shhh, less talk, more sleep." Mallow muttered.

Caldera drifted off to sleep before she could object further.


	7. Chapter 7

Caldera woke up to a strange noise. She realized, as she became more aware of the world around her, that it was Mallow humming. It was a song that Caldera never heard before.

As she sat up, Caldera noticed the ripple of Mallow's scales slightly changing color. When she stood up and her talons audibly clicked on the wood floor, they stopped abruptly. "Am I going crazy," Caldera began, "Or were your scales changing color a few seconds ago?"

Mallow looked over her shoulder at Caldera, and sighed. "No, you weren't." She said. "And I know you've probably seen them change a lot, but…you know how I said that I wasn't a normal MudWing?" Caldera nodded. "Well, I'm not…I'm a hybrid."

Caldera's eyes grew wide, and she gasped a little. "What kind?" She asked quietly. "If it's not too personal."

"RainWing." Mallow blurted. "My father was a RainWing. My mother was a MudWing."

"Was?" Caldera echoed.

"My mother died in a battle, my father was killed by one of my aunts when she found out that me and my sibs were hybrids." Mallow explained. "That was when my brother decided it was my fault, and claimed to be the oldest. I was kicked out of the troop; only my littlest brother liked me anyway. We were sent into battle when we were only a year old, and when we were two the only sib that I don't refuse to acknowledge died."

"I'm sorry." Caldera said. "Does the dragonet you babysit know?"

Mallow grunted, then said, "His parents knew when I first ran into them. I would tell him stories, and he's a good guesser, so he could tell that I was a hybrid in the way I described how my sibs looked." She paused, then said, "Okay, as soon as you're ready, we'll head to his house."

…

It was mid-afternoon when they reached the next oasis town. It wasn't long until Mallow announced that they were at the house.

It was a two-story home, built with blocks that were most likely made out of sand. It had four holes for windows, with fancy lace curtains shielding an onlooker's view of the top two windows. Mallow walked up to the wood door and tapped lightly. It didn't take long for what sounded like a lock to be released and a SandWing head pop out.

"Ah, Rose Mallow, just in time!" The SandWing said. She seemed worried. "I thought you would be here sooner." Caldera felt a small twinge of guilt. She would be if I wasn't here, she thought.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." Mallow replied. She brushed her wing against Caldera's head. "I brought along someone for Jackal to play with."

The SandWing looked at Caldera, and then her eyes when to wear her wings should be. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear. Yes, yes, Jackal would like someone to play with him. Be wary of his tail, though; if you do get hit, there's emergency supplies in the kitchen." She rushed out the door, and started walking away. "He's on the second floor!" She called.

Mallow looked at Caldera, then shoved her in with her wings. "Come on. I want you to meet the dragonet that I also pity." She walked into the house, lightly shoving Caldera up the steps and into an open area with a small bed, a large bed, both made out of straw, and a training dummy. And, in the corner was a small SandWing about the size of Caldera, maybe a little bit bigger.

"Hey, Jackal," Mallow said. The SandWing turned to her, with eyes that seemed more dull than they should. Beside him was a piece of cloth, and he tied it over his eyes. Caldera realized he must be blind. "Meet Caldera. She's a SkyWing—she doesn't have wings. I brought her here to keep you company."

Jackal stood up, and walked over to Caldera. To her, it seemed like he moved reasonably confidently for a blind dragonet. "Hello, Caldera." He said. "I was wondering why Mallow was taking so long."


	8. Chapter 8

Jackal couldn't be more than a year older than Caldera. Jackal smiled. "We're all unwanted, aren't we?" He said. "I asked my parents to let Mallow watch me because not only do they not want anyone to know I exist and they won't leave me alone, but also because she said that her siblings hated her. And Caldera…" He felt along her side to where her wings should be. She shivered. "It must've been hard. Do you ever wish that you lost your wings in a better way then being born with it? I usually wish that I wasn't born blind."

"I…no, no I haven't." Caldera replied.

"It's okay, he's like this." Mallow said reassuringly. "Eventually he'll talk like a normal dragon."

"I'm going to assume you meant to say 'no offense' at the end of that?" Jackal said, walking back to the corner where he was sitting.

"I'm going to assume that you'll stop talking like an ancient dragon." Mallow snapped. "You don't have to do that every time you meet a new dragon." She sat down, and Caldera did the same.

Jackal sighed. "Okay, then. Happy?" He sounded much younger when he wasn't forcing an accent. His tail laid by his side, and Caldera reminded herself that a SandWing's barbed tail could be really deadly. She didn't think that Jackal would stab them with it, though. Most SandWIngs, unless in battle, don't. Of course, the only SandWings Caldera knew where shortly killed by Peril…

"Yes, very much." Mallow said. "Now, what do you want to do today?"

"My parents won't be home for another two weeks." Jackal replied. "I overheard them talking. Father left two days ago while Mother waited until you came." Jackal paused, then looked at Caldera. Not in her direction, but directly at her. She wondered how he knew where she was, when she wasn't moving at all. "Do you have any suggestions, Caldera?" He asked. "I would normally play a sort of role-playing game with Mallow, in the area at the back of the house. We sometimes wander around the desert when my parents wouldn't be home for a month."

"Maybe we can do something new?" Caldera suggested. "Something that I won't feel like I'm barging in on?"

Jackal laughed, then said, "Yeah, sure. I've been interested in caves lately. When I asked my parents, they said that there is a cave made of purely sapphires closer to the ocean."

"What if we don't get back before your parents come home?" Mallow asked. "They would kill me then punish you if they realized we went out of the house."

"My parents normally don't come home for a month, no matter what they say." Jackal said, a little sadly. "And they know I'm not completely defenseless. And if I'm traveling with Mallow"—his gaze shifted to the hybrid—"then I can at least say that I was with someone who can kill someone who tried to harm me. My parents know you'd rather be snapping throats then watching me." He added to Mallow.

"Wouldn't we need supplies?" Caldera said. "Food, water, shelter?"

"I've been studying, and it turns out that there are plenty of places to rest." Jackal replied, tapping the scroll beside him meaningfully.

"How can you study if you can't see?" Caldera asked.

Jackal instantly looked as if he said something he wasn't supposed to. "I-I can't. I asked my parents to read it to me." He replied a little too quickly.

Mallow stood up and shook out her wings. "Okay then, it's decided. I'll get supplies with my awesome haggling skills. You two stay here and keep each other company. Gather blankets or something for us to make a tent with." She walked back down the stairs, and Caldera heard the various locks unclick and click again, meaning that the dragon left.

Jackal stood up, and began walking around. "I'm going to look downstairs for some poles or something." Caldera said. Jackal nodded. She walked back downstairs feeling like they were walking straight into doom.


	9. Chapter 9

Caldera found some long sticks that she thought would be good for making a tent. They looked like they were used for cooking food; so, if anything, the group could use them for doing that. She walked back upstairs to see Jackal folding up blankets in a bag. He silently hummed the dragonet of destiny song. Caldera's mind went to the night that it played eerily in the background, and how on the fourth time, it stopped too suddenly and afterwards had made Caldera feel lonely. One day, the war would be over.

Jackal looked up at her. "I'm sorry. Did that upset you?" He said. He fiddled with the end of one of the blankets.

"No-no," Caldera replied.

"You're lying." Jackal observed. "I can tell."

"Is everyone good at detecting lies but me?" Caldera asked. She walked over to him and started helping him fold and pack the blankets. Some where long, used for making tents, and some where shorter, for pillows (since it's too hot in the desert that you'd need a blanket.

"Mallow has always been able to tell how someone's feeling." Jackal said. "She told me that that's one of the main reasons why her brother kicked her out of her troop. And for me, I learned recently, a few months ago when I got this." He tapped on the cloth that covered his eyes. He paused, then added a little quickly, "But that's just how I measure time. By how long ago someone gave something to me."

There was a knock downstairs, at the door.

Jackal stood up, then looked like he realized something. "Can you see who it is? Just peek out the window. The door can only be unlocked from the inside if you don't have a key."

Caldera nodded and walked over to the window. It was, in fact, Mallow with food stuffed into brown bags. Caldera guessed that she bought those two—she didn't leave with them. Either that, or they belonged to Jackal's parents. Caldera walked downstairs, but was closely followed by Jackal, who expertly clicked all of the locks and opened the door.

"Okay, let's get these in the bag and go." Mallow said. "We don't want anyone to think I'm kidnapping you, so I'll be in the middle and to two on the sides. And we can rest as soon as you need to, and often as you need to."

"Mallow, I've been treated like a newborn dragonet by my parents, I don't need you to do the same." Jackal said. Honestly, though, Caldera agreed with Mallow. If they stayed close together, maybe she can try to ward off any trouble so then no harm comes to Mallow or Jackal.

Mallow just rolled her eyes at Jackal's comment, saying, "I may seem like an overprotective friend, but it's only because I couldn't be a protective sister." There was a pain in her voice that reminded Caldera of Mallow's youngest and dead sibling. She walked over to her and nudged her reassuringly, which brought Mallow to brush her wing over Caldera's head.

Caldera followed Mallow and Jackal up the stairs, and helped Mallow put the food in the bag. Well, three bags. In the corner of her eye, Caldera saw Jackal grab a piece of paper, some ink, and a quill. Caldera started wondering why he would need it, since theoretically he couldn't write. But her mind stayed to the trip ahead, and what she could do to keep her friends safe, if needed.


	10. Chapter 10

They left just before the sun set, and Caldera was personally glad that they didn't have to travel during the day.

"We can walk when it's cooler, at night." Jackal had suggested. "That way we can also prevent getting robbed. My parents would come home with half the stuff they left with because they slept at night."

He was right; traveling at night was easier that during the day. Caldera loved walking around on something other than grass and dirt—although, admittedly, she felt every single grain of sand on her talons and it disturbed her a little.

The dragonets started making a camp when the light was starting to grow, the heat already getting close to unbearable.

"I can make the tent," Jackal said. "I know how."

"How can you see where you're placing the poles and covers?" Caldera asked.

"I…I'll tell you later." Jackal replied. He reached into the sack where everything was and started putting up the tent, large enough for the three of them.

Mallow sighed and helped him, and Caldera sat down, feeling useless. Soon the tent was up, and they all went inside it.

Caldera didn't realize how tired she was until she sat down. She watched as Mallow got a piece of meat—maybe from a bird, or a rabbit—and split it in three. She handed each of them a piece, giving herself the slightly smaller one. They ate without speaking, and then all slept.

…

Caldera woke up close to sunset, hearing a voice murmur something outside the tent. Carefully, she stood up and saw that Jackal wasn't beside Mallow's still sleeping form. She went outside, and caught Jackal writing something. When she walked closer, he stopped and looked up at her.

"We didn't bring paper with us," Caldera observed. "Unless I'm imagining things." She walked closer, but before she could try to read what Jackal was writing, he folded it up and sat it beside him.

"No, you aren't." Jackal sighed. "I made the paper. And the ink. And the quill."

"How?" Caldera asked.

There was the sound of something moving in the tent, and Mallow's head emerged. "What. Are. You. Doing? I'm trying to sleep!" She walked further into the open, and must've seen the guilty look on Jackal face. "Okay, what's wrong?" She asked nicely.

"I'm an animus." Jackal said.

Caldera had only heard of animus magic once, when an IceWing was being dragged into the arena screaming "Darkstalker will kill us all with his magic! His animus magic will be the end!" She wasn't sure what he had been talking about, but she knew it wasn't good.

Mallow was now beside Caldera, seeming concerned in a way that seemed sisterly. It made sense to Caldera; she'd been watching over Jackal for a while. "I've heard of that before. Doesn't using it a lot make your soul do weird stuff? Like, you go insane, weird stuff?"

"When I first realized I was, when both my parents left for the first time after I hatched, I did all the research I could. I asked them questions, called it 'interest in history', and I cast a spell on myself so then I don't try to kill them one day." Jackal explained.

"How do you know it worked?" Caldera asked.

"I've been casting spells for over two years, as often as I could to make my parents' lives easier." Jackal replied. "I gave them pouches that kept the water cold, sacks that never let the food go bad, whatever I could do. I also enchanted this cloth so then I could see a little bit, about a few feet, in black and white. The farther it goes, it gets blurrier."

"Okay, this is a fascinating conversation," Mallow began. She looked up at the sky. "But if we want to get to that cave before your parents come home, we should get going." Jackal nodded, and Caldera helped him put the tent away. Once they had finished and eaten, they started walking again.


	11. Chapter 11

They made it to the purely-sapphire cave in the next two days. It was truly beautiful; while the outside looked like a normal cave, the inside seemed to be big enough for ten full-grown dragons to stand in there with their wings spread. Jackal was the first one to start walking in. Mallow soon followed, and Caldera took up the rear.

Now that she knew that Jackal was an animus, it made more sense. He moved with confidence; the cloth covering his eyes was tightly tied around his head. It fascinated her that she was friends with such dragons; but it also made her a little disappointed that she didn't have any secrets of her own.

As they reached the back of the cave, a pure stone wall stood in front of them.

Jackal stepped closer, but shook his head. "Caldera, can you find something to use as a torch? I might be able to read it, but it's too dark."

"I can read it," Mallow volunteered. "No offense, but I don't completely trust that you can read."

"I taught myself." Jackal replied. "I just asked my parents about the things I had just read so then they didn't get suspicious."

"You mean your parents don't know?" Caldera asked, starting to search for a stick or something. Maybe they had one in the bag? She searched there.

"No! I can think of three things they'll do if I told them; disown me, be more protective, or sell me to Queen Burn." Jackal said. "Or Mother would insist on watching me. Father would then most likely die because he's a weak fighter, or he'll forget we exist because he doesn't have Mother constantly reminding him that they had to get home to their defenseless, weak dragonet who's four and can take care of himself!" He said the last sentence more bitterly than he needed.

"I found one!" Caldera announced, pulling out something that looked like it could be made into a torch. She breathed a plume of fire in it's direction, and it instantly caught on fire. She moved back towards the wall, and Mallow stood in front of it, and began reading.

"One day, deep danger will rise. A sleeping dragon, three dragonets. Resting here, the dragon full of lies. The bonds will break, great terror would come. The only possible way for peace is to break ties." Mallow read. "One the day of the comet, beware all dragons. Only three can bring peace, all unwanted and undesired." She paused, then said, "That's it."

Suddenly, the wall fell, and laying there was a dragon with black scales. The dragon shifted, and a wing with little stars scattered on it was visible. The dragon turned again, then their eyes flared open. Instantly the dragon was standing, no taller than Mallow.

"Hello, dragonets." The dragon's voice sounded young, innocent. "I don't suppose you know where my sister is, do you?" She sounded generally concerned. "Not much shorter than me? Her name's Rainbow?"

"Who are you?" Mallow asked, a little defensively.

"My name is Spectrum." The dragon said. "Spectrum the NightWing, seer and mind-reader." She walked closer towards them, Caldera stepped out of her way. "And don't bother telling me what your names are. I know that you're Caldera, you're Jackal, and you're Rose Mallow." She pointed towards each of them when she said their names.

"Why were you trapped here?" Caldera asked.

"I'll tell you, once you find me my sister." Spectrum said. "She should be somewhere near the Sea Kingdom, on one of the bigger islands closer to the mainland." She swished her tail. "Come on." Caldera looked at the others, and Mallow gave a "we might not have a choice" expression, and Jackal sighed. Mallow started following Spectrum out of the cave, with Caldera close behind. Jackal walked behind all of them, visually annoyed.

To be continued in Book 2


End file.
